King Raven
King Ravens formed the backbone of the Coalition of Ordered Governments air corps. They were introduced in the late years of the Pendulum Wars and has been an indispensable aircraft ever since. It continued to prove its worth during the Locust War, where it was mainly used for transporting Gears in and out of conflicts. It also proved to be excellent for assault on infantry and supporting the troops on the ground. History Introduction The King Raven was introduced in 17 B.E. and saw action in the Kashkur Front, as it was used by the COG Army throughout the entire war replacing the Corva and Terns.Gears of War: Anvil Gate Early Locust War King Ravens were used extensively throughout the first year as the beginning battles began. Fighting control for the areas of Sera was a major base of the fighting, and cities were a major part of the area of fighting. They were also used during the evacuation to Ephrya, as millions of people were rapidly moving towards Ephrya. They were also used as civilian transporters, to pick up civilians and make their way towards Ephrya before the Hammer was deployed. Lightmass Offensive During the Lightmass Offensive, King Ravens were first used to evacuate Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago from the Slab, and to transport the now full-strength Delta Squad to Embry Square. KR's later provided covering fire for Delta as they began to search for Alpha Squad. After leaving the House of Sovereigns, a King Raven was dispatched to extract the remnants of Delta and Alpha Squads, but was destroyed by Nemacyst. When Delta Squad was dispatched to recover lost data from East Barricade Academy, two KR's were used. One was shot down. As the Lightmass Bomb was being ferried towards its designated target area, a King Raven gave pursuit abreast of the train. After killing RAAM, Marcus activated the bomb and was snatched off the train just in the nick of time. Locust Re-Emergence After the Lightmass Offensive the COG believed the war over and grounded half of their fleet of King Ravens for repairs. This left the COG unprepared when the Locust Horde returned. Assault On Landown King Ravens were used extensively throughout the Assault On Landown. They transported Gears and fresh supplies to deploy them from the staging point, as well as supporting and escorting infantry and ground vehicles. They were a great asset to the COG Army who participated in the assault. However a substantial number of Seeders were pocketed throughout the area, as well as Brumaks, in which they took down countless King Ravens during the assault. Soon, High Command had decided to pull back nearly all King Ravens in the area, advising ground troops and other forces to eliminate Seeders when they took notice of them. This plan had succeeded. Operation: Hollow Storm King Ravens took part in Operation: Hollow Storm. Originally, the plan was to use King Ravens to fly in a Lightmass bomb to the Locust Sinkhole; however, heavy Seeder and Nemacyst infestation prevented this from happening. Later, when Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago cleared the sinkhole using a hijacked Brumak, King Ravens evacuated them from aboard the Brumak. However, the King Raven carrying the Lightmass bomb was taken down by the Lambent Brumak and sank into the Imulsion. In order to sink Jacinto, Marcus Fenix used the Hammer of Dawn from the side door of a King Raven, causing the Lambent Brumak to detonate. Later, King Ravens were used extensively to evacuate Jacinto. After Jacinto, The Relocation Of The Remnant Of Jacinto After the sinking of Jacinto, King Ravens were used to carry supplies and Gears to Vectes Naval Base. Later, a King Raven took Delta Squad to the island of Vectes, where they encountered a large isolated community. King Ravens also took part in numerous military operations against the Stranded on and around Vectes, and later against the emerging Lambent. Specifications/Overview Function/Usage As an all-around, multi-purpose air transport/assault aircraft, the King Raven was mainly used to transport, insert/deploy soldiers such as Gears. It was able to carry up to twelve personnel at once. Besides their function as transport vehicles, Ravens also served as close air support to soldiers on foot. Crew The Raven crew consisted of a pilot and a co-pilot, who were responsible for the control over the actual movement, agility and maneuverability of the helicopter, as well as communications and navigation. Furthermore, there were two gunners who manned the Chain Guns mounted on both sides of the Raven. There was also a Crew Chief, who commanded the Raven and its crew, as well as controlling operations that the Raven undertook. Design The King Raven had a contra-rotating main rotor, in which two rotors sat on top of each other and turned in opposite directions, canceling out rotational torque and eliminating the need for a tail rotor. The Raven also had no visible cockpit windows, and instead pilots utilized cameras and monitors to pilot the craft. Twin intakes were located directly above the cockpit. The troop bay was open to the elements and had seating for up to 5 Gears, as well as handholds in the cabin for additional troops. It had a set of retractable mid mounted wheels and a fixed single rear wheel for landing gear. Armaments All King Ravens were standardly equipped with armaments on both the front and the sides of the aircraft. Its side armament included two side-mounted Chain Guns, operated by either the Gunners or any Gear that happened to be on board; they were used for point-defense and close air support from the air. These Chain Guns could also be replaced by Stomper grenade launchers at any time, used for targeting units with heavier armor. Its frontal armament, a forward-mounted machine gun on the front of the aircraft was controlled by the pilot, which made them capable of performing attacks on oncoming targets. Armor Every Raven had relatively dense armor plates, capable of withstanding small-arms fire. However, Ravens were extremely vulnerable to explosions from rockets and later, during the Locust War, from exploding Nemacysts. King Ravens could not go anywhere where Nemacyst populated the airspace. Delta Squad was often tasked with clearing the sky of Nemacyst and killing any Seeders before any King Ravens could even come close. Equipment/Features Besides Weapons/Armaments and Armor, the King Raven had a number of specialized equipment/features that helped it with support itself and friendly forces, to increase combat effectiveness and combat survival. The King Raven was equipped with a forward-mounted searchlight, to help itself and other friendly forces see through the dark. Like most helicopters, King Ravens are equipped with retractable belly-mounted wheels, used for safe landings and take-offs. Variants King Raven Gunship The King Raven Gunship was a variant to the standard King Raven, especially designed for close air support. It was notably different from the standard Raven on several specific points: the capacity for transporting infantry had been reduced and the door-mounted Chain Guns had been removed and placed in gunpods. This reduction of the standard weight, resulted in a higher capacity for additional ammunition and two wing stubs that accommodated extra weapon hardpoints. It also had much thicker armor than standard Ravens, and a reasonably larger fuel tank. In addition to the standard nose-mounted machine guns, the King Raven Gunship also had a UV-Filter-equipped searchlight, a pair of rocket pods and a battery of laser-guided anti-tank missiles. The latter were often used against Brumaks and Reavers during the Locust War. It is known that many King Raven Gunships were deployed in the assault on Landown; many of which were lost because of the Locust resistance. Dual-Rotor Variant A specialized King Raven variant that was seen ferrying the Lightmass Bomb at the end of Operation Hollow Storm and evacuating Jacinto after the city was sunk. Unlike other Ravens, it sports an additional rotor assembly on the tail identical to the main assembly. Its side doors are also closed and it does not appear to have any side mounted weaponry. The variant is also noticeably longer than the standard Raven model. This variant is most likely used for heavy load lifting and large scale troop transport that the regular Ravens are unable to undertake. Sea Raven The Sea Raven was not a variant to the King Raven, but the COG Navy's version of the King Raven. It could hold one Marlin attack boat and was used in The Battle of Aspho Fields. It served all the same functions as its land based counterpart.Gears of War: Aspho Fields Known King Ravens *KR A-108 *KR Zero-One *KR Zero-Three *KR Zero-Four *KR Zero-Five *KR Zero-Six *KR One-One *KR One-Five *KR One-Eight *KR One-Nine *KR Two-Four *KR Two-Five *KR Three-Two *KR Three-Three *KR Three-Five *KR Three-Six *KR Four-One *KR Four-Two *KR Four-Nine *KR Five-One *KR Five-Four *KR Five-Nine *KR Six-Zero *KR Six-One *KR Six-Two *KR Six-Four *KR Six-Seven *KR Seven-Zero *KR Seven-Two *KR Seven-Three *KR Seven-Five *KR Seven-Seven *KR Eight-Zero *KR Nine-Six *KR-239 *KR-471 *KR Five-Three-Zero *KR Eighty-Four Behind The Scenes *King Raven helicopters are seen on heli-pads in the multiplayer maps, Rooftops, Jacinto, and Fuel Depot. *At the start of a match on Jacinto, a trio of King Ravens fly from the Hammer of Dawn/Boomshot spawn, over the grounded KRs, and out of view. *King Ravens carry blackboxes, or Flight Recorders. References Category:Vehicles Category:COG